Extra Fruity Slot Machine
What would the world of slot gaming be without the good ol’ fruit machines? In the early days, they dominated the casino floors where fruits would be accompanied by bells, BARs, diamonds and sevens, and the games had mostly only one to five paylines on three reels. Extra features were still a rather distant future and people were looking to line up three matching symbols to score a win. For some reason, the cherry was chosen to award small wins with just two symbols.
A lot has changed in the past six to seven decades. The advance in technology and computer capabilities have allowed game providers to include bonus features, more paylines and bonus features. The flurry of modern fruit machines that have been released at online casinos shows that the fruit theme has not lost its appeal with the slot-playing community. The latest creation from Pragmatic Play fits right into this category. But don’t be fooled by the simplistic design, as it comes with sky-high volatility and maximum wins going into the thousands of your initial stake.
The Fruity Reels
Extra Fruity is Pragmatic Play’s take on the classic slot theme with fruits and bells populating the reels. Vibrant colors, super-sharp graphics and crisp animations underline the feeling of a modern video slot. One thing has not changed, and that’s the distinct sound of spinning reels and the brief extra sound on winning spins. The game studio added two modern twists to the game: the Repeater feature and pays on adjacent reels starting from the left on any reel.
The design fully reflects the fruity theme in the seven pay symbols, all of which can appear stacked. In ascending order of value, they are cherries, lemons, oranges, plums, blueberries, and melons. The top-paying symbol is the bell. There are no wilds or scatters on this slot, which means there are no bonus features to be triggered. However, a full block of matching symbols on the middle reels will activate the Repeater feature.
The Juicy Stats and Numbers
Extra Fruity is a video slot with high volatility and an RTP of 96.51%. Bet sizes start at a low-roller-friendly 0.10 credits and go up to 50 credits, which should be sufficient for the high rollers. Payouts for a single five-of-a-kind range from 4x to 100x the bet. Hitting a full screen of bells will lead to the maximum base game win in a single spin of 1,000x the bet.
The game is in HTML5 format, making it available for play on desktop, mobile and tablet across all OS platforms. Auto play will allow up to 1,000 consecutive spins with a range of options as to when the run should stop.
The Fruity Pay Mechanic
The first and most visible modern twist on Extra Fruity is the adjacent reels pay mechanic, and here Pragmatic Play has used it for the first time on one of its games. Winning combinations do not need to start on the leftmost reel. Instead, any minimum three pay symbols adjacent anywhere on the reels and on an active payline will award a win. For example, three matching symbols landing on reels three, four, and five on a payline will lead to a three-of-a-kind pay. Four matching symbols on a payline starting from reel two will award a win for a four-of-a-kind. However, the wins are paid only from left to right.
The Repeater Feature
The feature is the second modern modifier that has been added to Extra Fruity. Hitting a full block of stacked symbols on reels two, three, and four will trigger the Repeater feature. All winning combinations on the triggering spin plus any further feature wins will be evaluated and paid once the feature ends.
Due to the adjacent reels pay mechanic, the minimum initial win from the feature is equal to a three-of-a-kind win on all ten paylines. Considering the payouts for the slot symbols, that would produce wins ranging from 2x to 25x the bet. Any matching symbols on reel one or five will add to the win amount.
A Wheel of Fortune appears with 12 wedges. At the beginning, six will contain “Repeat” and six will have a “Collect” sign. Players can now spin the wheel one time. If it stops on “Repeat”, then the initial win is multiplied by x2 and another spin is awarded. Before the next spin on the wheel, the wedge that was hit on the previous spin will change to “Collect”. The feature continues until the wheel stops on a “Collect” wedge or after six successful spins, leading to the maximum multiplier of x64. Even smallish wins will instantly transform into mega wins when the top multiplier is applied.
A Second Chance for the Unlucky
When full stacks land in one spin on reels two and three only, a second chance to trigger the Repeater feature is awarded. First, any potential wins from the spin are evaluated and paid before reel four is spun one more time. Hitting a matching symbol stack on the respin will trigger the Repeater feature.
More Juicy Fruit Reels
Having been around for almost the entire last century, fruit-themed slots can still be found today, with a vast choice of titles available. I don't know of any game provider that does not have at least one fruit machine in its portfolio. To close your eyes and take a random pick would be the logical recommendation. Good examples of modern fruit slots are Very Fruity from Scientific Games subsidiary Shuffle Master and Fruit vs. Candy from Microgaming.
The Final Fruity Verdict
Blast from the past or back to the future? Fans of fruit machines, including me, will opt for the blast from the past. Extra Fruity takes us back to those early days of slot playing, this time with extra suspenseful moments added via the special pay mechanic and the Repeater feature. Adding to the attraction is the high win potential, which theoretically peaks at a huge 64,000x your bet for a full screen of bells and a x64 multiplier in the Repeater feature. Get your juicy wins on Extra Fruity now.
